


Rustic Beginnings

by SunnyRadiance



Category: Satan and Me (Webcomic)
Genre: Complete, F/M, Fluff, GabeNat?, Gatan?, He use the big words, No Smut, Rare Pairing, Sad blanket appearance, Seriously this is going to be fluffy as hell, Shy lil Gabey, Slice of Life, Sweet, TIME TO CHEER UP THE FANDOM, The fandom needs this, You're lucky I have time to write a good one, idk i tried, pls enjoy, satan and me - Freeform, webcomic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-03-14
Updated: 2017-03-14
Packaged: 2018-10-04 15:56:53
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 2,470
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10282589
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SunnyRadiance/pseuds/SunnyRadiance
Summary: Gabriel has a secret crush on Natalie and finds the perfect opportunity to be with her alone on a Friday evening sometime in spring when she asks for his help cleaning out her attic. He manages to get Michael to cover the ending of his shift at the coffee shop while he goes to help Nat. She shares some of her fondest memories with him as they go through the old boxes, and our shy lil' Gabe tries to impress her the entire time.





	1. Gabey Baby

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [Satan and Me](https://archiveofourown.org/external_works/274313) by OrangePlum. 



“Caffeic. It’s the scientific term for coffee used in chemistry,” Gabe pointed at the blank definition line in Natalie’s textbook. She had just about finished her homework for the day, being stuck on the last definition of the chapter before the barista had defined it for her.

“Yes! Thanks Gabriel, do you mind if I go freshen up in the bathroom a bit before we go?” Natalie asked, leaning in to grab her empty coffee cup off the table. Gabriel took it before she could and their fingers brushed, sending a shiver up his spine. The familiar scent of her citrus-vanilla perfume hung in the air just faintly enough through the regular smell of coffee for him to feel entranced by her, though he supposed that was what perfume was for.

“Of course, and I’ll recycle this for you. I have to go to the back anyway,” he gave her a comforting smile which she returned with a huge grin.

“Okay, thanks! I’ll try to be quick,” Natalie replied chirpily as she put away her books. With that, she flung her bag over her shoulder and made her way to the ladies room. Gabe remembered then he had to meet Michael in the back right away and made his way outside, tossing Natalie’s empty cup into a nearby recycling bin.

Michael was leaning up against the side wall in the cool, spring air tapping his foot impatiently, “What do you need, Gabe? I was in the middle of sorting through Dad’s old records.” There was nothing like the sound of his brother's impending tone to break his happy mood.

Gabriel wasn’t surprised that the one time he needed Michael's assistance; his brother was acting like he had been asked to donate a kidney, “I just need you to cover my shift for the last half hour.”

“No way, I’m too busy for that, Gabriel! You of all people should know how much work I have to do!” Michael looked like someone had told him his plane was delayed by four hours.

“It’s for Natalie,” Gabe had no time to argue; time was running out before she would be done in the restroom and he wanted to be able to help Natalie on time.

Michael raised his prominent eyebrows, “You mean this is about your little crush? What do you have to do for her? Girl got you under her spell?”

Gabe glanced up at his brother questioningly, as not to insult him since he didn't have anyone else to do the job for him.

He nodded, “I just need to help her clean out her attic, it’s nothing like what you’re thinking.”

Unfortunately, Michael had discovered his small affections towards Natalie in the last few weeks. It hadn't helped that Michael had found him making a present for the girl earlier that morning when Natalie texted him about her chore. Gabriel couldn’t help but fall for her, she was incredibly polite (unlike many of her classmates who had passed through the coffee shop) and there was a certain fire about her that he wished he had himself.

A sneaky grin that Gabe didn’t like the look of crept onto his brother’s face, “I’ll cover you, but only because this is FAR too interesting for me to pass on. I want to see what happens between you and Gingersnap. Go get ‘em Gabey Baby!” Gabe gritted his teeth in a smile and tried not let his resentment for that nickname show as Michael slapped him on the back, a little too hard like always, Before thanking him and heading on inside to quickly change out of his uniform. If there was one thing he’d learned from the human world, it was that flattery got you _everywhere_.

~.~.~.~.~.~.~


	2. The Sad Blanket Returns

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A more in-depth bonding chapter between Gabe and Nat, I tried to get as many accurate facts about the characters as I could. The sad blanket makes an appearance, and they talk about old things and share a few emotional moments. Gabe has a little flashback, just my own take on the sad blanket.

Gabriel adjusted his brown leather messenger bag and looked up at the rickety stairs to the attic, “Are you sure these are safe to walk on? They look a bit…enfeebled.”

“Yeah, they’re fine. Don’t worry so much!” Nat hurried excitedly up the stairs. With every harsh step, loud creaks and moans came from the old wooden planks. Luckily, there was a window in Natalie’s attic, and the light of the late afternoon provided light.

Gabriel quickly made his way up the steps, his heart speeding up at every noise the old steps made until his feet brushed an old carpet and he was surrounded by old boxes and the musty smell of water-damaged cardboard. Natalie noticed the look on his face and gave him a sympathetic pat on the shoulder, “I know, it’s really musty and gross up here but we just have to look through the last few boxes here. Dad did a lot of it himself, but some of the memories behind some of this stuff got to him and he went out for some fresh air. I’m sorry to bother you with all this; it’s just that Lucifer’s taking his nap and I don’t want him to break anything up here or it’ll make my dad more upset.”

“It’s no problem, really. I was just a bit surprised you asked. Most of these items must be personal to you and your family. I can see why you didn’t ask my brother, though; Lucifer isn’t exactly understanding when it comes to things like family memories,” Gabriel remembered quite clearly Lucifer’s impact on their family and how he hadn’t much remorse for his actions.

Natalie started talking about Lucifer then, complaining about how he lounged around like a lazy house cat and the like while they rummaged through the boxes, setting aside important items and leaving a pile of unimportant ones. Natalie stopped when she saw a photo taken of her mom holding her as a baby, feeling a little emotional herself at the sight of how happy her mom looked to be with her. Gabe glanced over and placed a comforting hand on her shoulder, “I’m sorry about your mother, Natalie. I see how jubilant you all were in a lot of these, do you want to go check out that box over there and I can finish this one?” He gestured to a big box in the corner with his free hand.

Natalie nodded, “Thanks Gabe, but I’ve got this one. I don’t think I can lift that heavy one, what’s even in there anyway? Also, what does jubilant mean?”

Gabriel was secretly pleased she had noted his use of interesting vocabulary words, and moved over to the big box and peered inside, “It’s a synonym for happy or joyful. Also, I don’t think there’s much in here. Just a rug or a blanket I think, it’s rolled up.”

Natalie sprung up, “Oh, that’s the sad blanket! Dad probably put it back up here after it gave Lucifer a rash. We should probably keep it in its corner then, until we need it again.” Gabriel noticed the smells of various spices. Basil, jasmine… It was comforting and familiar. Like home.

_"Thank you, Raphael. This fabric is lovely! I'm sure I can make a nice blanket for Lucifer with it, after Zadkiel pranked him earlier he might need someone to calm him down before he plots some sort of revenge."_

_"Not a problem, Gabriel. It's actually blessed and soaked in spices, too. I was thinking of getting a few for the hospital, they'e very soothing to patients."_

_"You ought to! Well, I better go get to work. If you see Zadkiel, try to get them to apologize to Lucifer. We don't need such a silly squabble making our family angry at each other."_

 “It doesn’t bother you, the blanket? I figured since Lucifer's allergic it might irritate you, too.” Natalie questioned. “No, I love spices actually. At the coffee shop, they put me in charge of the fragrances and different flavors. I made the secret menu, actually,” Gabriel moved away from the blanket and opened a trunk full of tiny clothes. He knew a protection charm when he saw one, but he didn’t think Natalie knew what they were and decided he’d bring it up at a later date.

~.~.~.~.~.~.~


	3. The Fluffiest Chapter

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This is probably the fluffiest chapter, need I say more. A little on the long side, but I decided it was better than breaking it up into two smaller chapters.

“Oh, look! These are some clothes my dad saved from when Max and I were little,” Natalie lifted up a faded green shirt belonging to the younger girl she once was, gazing at it fondly. 

Gabe looked over the tiny clothes and smiled, “You must have looked quite adorable in these.”

“I did, but we should probably donate some of them. I doubt they still fit. Do you have anything left from when you were little, Gabe?” Natalie asked, pushing another bin of clothes towards him. This came as a bit of a shock to Gabriel, not many people had shown a general interest in him or his life lately. It was pleasing as always to answer a question that wasn’t asking him to do a favor or get something done. It was little things like this that really drew him to Natalie. 

“I saved a few things, mostly just some jewelry and other small things, a lot of books and pictures. A lot of it is centuries old, I guess we both come from rustic beginnings. I’m very fond of Egyptian culture, I used to read about it a lot when I was younger and it inspired me,” Gabriel carefully opened the box and he and Natalie picked out some clothes she thought they would keep and put the rest in a crate for donation.

“You know, you sound really wise. You use a lot of big words, and being around so long must have made you super smart,” Natalie remarked and turned to attend a few boxes. 

Gabe couldn't surpass a grin and dipped into his messenger bag while her back was turned to sneak a look in his thesaurus, “Thank you, Natalie. Etymology is one of my favored studies.” His heart soared when he saw she had been smiling, he began to think that perhaps he had a chance with her.

The sun was beginning to set, and streaks of oranges, pinks, and reds lit up the sky. Gabriel stretched and nodded along to Natalie as she showed him some of her favorite childhood toys. He knew they were almost finished, and he remembered the present he’d wanted to give her. His heart was thudding, would he even have the courage to ask her out eventually? After sharing such personal memories, he felt a sort of closeness had settled between them. Sure, they'd talked before, but his bond with her had strengthened considerably today. He expected her to be somewhat relaxed without his brothers around starting trouble between themselves, but overall Gabe noticed how... Content Natalie was with him. 

Even in himself, he noticed how at peace he was- Even if he was moving around aging boxes in Natalie' tiny, cramped attic which wasn't exactly breathable. It was simple experiences like this that Gabe enjoyed the most, without family drama and Michael yapping in his ear constantly. He loved his family, but taking breaks like this in the human world to brew coffee or read his books were things he almost craved to keep himself sane. Natalie, in her ever so normal, yet not nearly boring life could probably cure him of all of his anxiety. He knew why he was a bit jealous of Lucifer, being able to experience time with this girl and not letting her know he appreciated it-If he even did.

"That's the last of them!" Natalie announced, jolting the angel out of his daydreaming by plopping the last box by the attic stairs to take down. She dusted herself off and Gabriel did the same, turning to face her. Natalie walked over and brought him into a big hug, and Gabe's chest felt like it was soaring, "Thanks so much for the help, Gabriel! I couldn't have sorted all this stuff myself, it was nice to have you here for emotional support too."

He was quick to return her hug, smiling as a few of her ginger locks brushed his face. It was now or never.

"Really, it's not a problem. I enjoyed spending time with you, and oh, I almost forgot. I made you something earlier," Gabriel thought his heart would beat out of his chest from how nervous he was. He hoped she wouldn't be disappointed with his present as he pulled away and reached into his messenger bag. 

He presented Natalie with a bookmark, clear with a cute tassel on the end, but inside there was a pocket in which he had placed a pressed a purple crocus. A notable spring flower, he decided he'd give it to her since he loved the flowers and saw she was always dog-earring the pages of her books. It wasn't anything big, yet Natalie grinned and hugged him again, "It's so pretty, thank you! I love these little flowers, I see them all over the place this time of year. I really should start using more bookmarks too, Lucifer always gets mad when I bend the corners of the pages in his books." Natalie carefully placed the book mark in her pocket for safe keeping and looked back up at Gabe.

He didn't know what had compelled him to do what he did. Maybe it was the cheerful smile on her face or her lovely green eyes staring almost hopefully up at him, even just the sheer fact that it felt like the right moment to do something important. Gabriel wrapped an arm around Natalie's waist and leaned in, placing his lips upon hers. Natalie didn't pull away, and his stars collided. The girl brought her hand around the back of his head and tangled her fingers in his russet curls, kissing him deeply in return. Their lips crashed together over and over as they explored this new sensation with each other. Once they had to pause to take a breath, both were still smiling in each other's arms. Natalie nuzzled him and rested her cheek on his chest, giggling, "It took you long enough to tell me about that crush of yours, Gabey Baby! I could see it on your face for daaaays."

Gabe froze and the color drained from his face. 

"You don't like that name? Michael said you did, earlier today... Just Gabe then?" Natalie giggled over the look on his face.

Gabriel smiled, trying to regain his normality, "Heh, yeah, just Gabe or Gabriel. He just teases me with that name, don't listen to him." 

Natalie leaned up and kissed him again, "Alright then, Gabe."

Gabriel knew he was going to give that caterpillar-eyebrows brother of his a good talking-to later on, but for the time being he would be enjoying Natalie's kisses as the sun went down on the perfect spring evening he had the liberty of sharing with her.

~.~.~.~.~.~.~

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And that's it! I hope you guys liked the story and any criticisms are appreciated once again. Thanks for reading! <3


End file.
